Last time I'll look at blogger in Hebrew

Welp. It's over. Headed to the airport now.  This is the last I'll type from the bus wifi. Our flight doesn't leave for a couple hours yet.  It'll be about a 12 hour flight. Switching time zones so I'll get to relive about 7 hours of my life tomorrow. Interesting thought, yeah? I've got a lot to think and plan over the trip back, and many sweet fresh memories to reflect upon. Should be a good trip. But oh, so long. CUFI, It's been great.  I've loved it, and I'll never forget.  So long Israel, God's chosen land  and people. Farewell my first trip to the Middle East. Hello 25 hours of travel Home.

I Write with a Very Heavy Heart

Today was a super intense day for me.  We visited an IDF Paratrooper training base (which we were not allowed to photograph). They showed us weapons and obstacle training courses.  When I walked through the obstacle course and they described the speeds required of the fully armed soldiers, I realized how real the military is for the Israelis. It's not a joke. They're required to join sure, but that doesn't slacken the intensity of their military.  Kids younger than me and my same age were serving their country. One soldier described to us how important preserving their country is to them and said, "None of us want to be out here wasting three years of Our lives. We've got everything ahead of us just like you. But if the Israelis put our guns down, we will die. If the Palestinians put their guns down, there will be peace."  We talked with some of the soldiers (this is the second time) and they seemed almost shy. Interesting enough. They've told us before that they wish they could be in school like us. After the base we went over to the Gaza strip and met with a colonel who led us to the top of a hill.  The first house I saw stepping out of the bus, had 2 rockets stuck in the roof. Real rockets. At the top of the hill we could see clearly into Gaza.  He spoke for just a few minutes then ushered us down the hill saying "Sometimes they can spot groups here and might shoot. That got reaaaal real for a minute.
When he took us down the hill, he shared with us how the Israeli military functions. It was an excellent lesson.  At the end he shared a story of his mother, who was experimented on at Auschtwitz during world war two and the terrible abuses she suffered at the hands of Nazi men. That was a time when the Jewish people were helpless and could do nothing of their situation.  "We are not doing Israel a favor by serving in the armed forces; Israel is doing us a favor by providing for us to defend and protect ourselves, which is something we've not been able to do for a long time in history." boom. wow. After this, we  drove over to look at some of the rockets shot over.  Each rocket is marked with the date, location (?), and the number of deaths it caused.  I had to imagine one of them getting swung like a baseball bat at me. Then times a thousand. Flying through the air, and I have 15 seconds to find shelter.  Ten times a day. And this is people's lives.  We stopped at a teeny bomb shelter along the side of the road-and there were several scattered down through out the street- the closest thing I can compare it to is a very very teeny bus stop- both in size and frequency along the street. We climbed in just to see. You could only fit about 5 people. So should you be on the street when a rocket comes this is where you'd go.  It smelled of urine.  Makes sense, if I had a rocket flyin at me I might too.

Then we went to a children's facility. The U.S. donated money for Israel to create a safe place for children to gather. If a child wanted to have friends over, or say, a birthday party, there would not be enough room in a family's bomb shelter to shelter all the children.  So this is a location they can all go and fit.  This place was high traffic.  So many children.  The sides of the building and certain rooms were  rocket proof, but the center could not afford to rocket proof the center of the building. So should a rocket come, they would set off the alarms and all the children and families would run to the sides of the building.  This is how these children live.  There was an indoor soccer field, because it isn't safe for these children to play outside. The rockets consume the way the people have to live. Even the toys inside the building were strategic.  There was a short climbing wall that wouldn't let you climb very high but was designed for you to climb sideways across. Why you ask. Because it would take more than 15 seconds for a child to jump down from the top of a tall climbing wall to seek shelter from a rocket. There's more, so much more.  I guess today I was just kind of hit with the reality of it all.  That Israels not political theories or experiments. They are a people who are fighting for their right to survive and live peaceably. They are people who live in scary, uncertain times and have to make scary, uncertain decisions.  My heart is broken for these people. I want to adopt three Jewish sons. That I'll keep thinking about, but really.

On the Shores of my Soul

Last night I took some time out to  myself to enjoy a relaxing evening. I climbed on top of this big old rock, turned on some music, read and planned some and enjoyed this beautiful view. Jersusalem  is unique in that the city seems to surround you no matter where you are. Love it:)

There is Always Hope

Today we traveled over to Bethlehem which is technically in Palestinian territory.  We were confronted with an immediate shift in setting after crossing the border.  Upon approach, there was a large blank concrete wall and I wasn't for sure exactly what to expect on the other side. Graffiti. The Palestinian side of the wall was covered in graffiti. Some of the most beautiful graffiti I've ever seen, but also very disturbing.  Conflicting political and societal messages overlapped one another and the bus was driving so fast I kinda felt like Alice in Wonderland sailing through a tunnel of pictures and phrases flashing by. There was a sign that read "Thank you for coming to Bethlehem , We welcome you as you just as we did the savior. Pray for the freedom of Palestine." You see, there's two sides to every story.  We asked the cheerful tour guide who had attended a Bible college, how we could help the Palestinian Christian people.  He answered quite abruptly, "Send them over to tour like you guys did." Economics was not our question, but it seemed a topic best not discussed with this man at that exact moment.
During our tour I was able to touch the exact spot where Jesus was born.  Often we're unable to know for certain the precise location of things associated with Jesus, but the birthplace is a for certain spot. It was a really beautiful moment as our whole group gathered together and sang "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and " "O Come all Ye Faithful"  It was a real powerful moment.
We'd begun the day discussing the political situation of Israel and meeting with the Mayor Deputy of Jerusalem.  We ended the day with the Israeli Museum where I was able to see the actual Dead Sea Scrolls (which I spent a ton of time studying last semester.) There was more to the day of course, but this will have to suffice. There is a saying in the  Jewish culture describing the Shabbot dinner that says "It's a time of just being, after a long week of becoming."  And that, I believe, I'm going to  apply to this day right now at this very moment. Time for an early retirement and a peaceful nights rest!

The Sun will Rise

Sunrise over Masada this morning. The skies here are truly breath taking.

Quick Catch up

Well, there are several reasons why I haven't kept my blog up very well here lately. Names because Google is in Hebrew here...so every time I type something....it types backwards....and I cannot read the buttons required to click around and publish what I need to.  Second reason,  I have found myself coming to the close of my evenings completely overwhelmed by the thought of trying to put to words the things that have meant the most to me, the things which would most interest those reading, and  the very thought of attempting to capture the ambiance of this land in a a short blog post is just quite simply appalling. Today was truly wonderful friends. Truly, truly wonderful. The Lord's goodness has reached no limit on this trip. He has unified this group threw his spirit and song.  I  am so grateful for this group of people. They've made this journey a true joy:) I go now to join in a short worship session as we over look Jerusalem this night.  I will catch up on my posts later, perhaps tomorrow, but for tonight the city and God awaits. I am over-whelmed with His Goodness.  Prayers continued would still be accepted:)

First touch of Israeli soil